Noun groups

1. Noun groups • uses/applications • probe questions • pre-modifying adjectivals Some notes and exercises taken from: Humphrey, S., Love, K., & Droga, L. (2011). Working Grammar: An introduction for secondary English teachers. Victoria: Pearson.

2. Noun Groups/Nominal Groups A noun group contains a ‘main’ noun with information before and/or after the main noun that provides further information about that main noun. e.g. Swerve is a clever, moving and thoroughly engrossing(adds information before main noun)story(main noun) well told(adds information after main noun). (Humphrey et al., 2011, p. 60)

3. Noun groups - uses/applications • Noun groups are extremely flexible in their structures and are almost endlessly expandable. • They can very efficiently provide detailed and rich information about a noun using relatively few words. • Using complex noun groups is a very effective strategy to use in formal writing tasks, such as essays, to provide concise, detailed and in-depth information about concepts and topics. • Probe questions can help identify the function of the various words in the noun group that tell us more about the main noun.

4. Probe questions – example (Humphrey et al., 2011, p. 61) e.g. those four beautifully polished marble statues in the Botanical Gardens

5. Exercise 1 Fill in the table of probe questions for the following noun group example: that cluster of delicate, sweetly fragranced bush roses in the old-fashioned courtyard

6. Answers that cluster of delicate, sweetly fragranced bush roses in the old-fashioned courtyard

7. Adjectivals(Humphrey et al., 2011, p. 61) Words that provide information about a noun are called adjectivals. The table below summarises the different types of adjectivals.

8. Pre-modifying adjectivals(Humphrey et al., 2011, p. 61) Pre-modifying adjectivals come before the noun, and in English, they occur in a set order. Sometimes several of the one kind can be used in the same noun group.

9. Exercise 2 (Humphrey et al., 2011, p. 62) 1. Use probe questions to find and highlight the noun groups in the following sentences. • His racist attitudes have always got him into trouble. • Their past mistreatment has left them scarred. • Kate’s two Vietnamese friends met us at the party. • The tragic Black Saturday bushfires will never be forgotten. • I loved watching that acrobatic modern jazz dance troupe. 2. Place the pre-modifying adjectives into the table below.

10. Answers His racist attitudes have always got him into trouble. Their past mistreatment has left them scarred. Kate’s two Vietnamese friends met us at the party. The tragic Black Saturday bushfires will never be forgotten. I loved watching that acrobatic modern jazz dance troupe.

11. Exercise 3 1a. Choose three different nouns and write them on your page. b. Write a complex noun group describing each noun using pre-modifying adjectivals. c. Fill in the table labelling the pre-modifying adjectivals you used for each of your main nouns. CHALLENGE: Prize for the most inventive main noun / pre- modifying adjectival combination (class vote…)

12. Extension/reflection: Write some notes or a paragraph on the following: How could the increased use of complex noun groups affect your writing? (Use the dot points below to guide your thinking) • In specific text types or writing tasks • Your ability to write creatively and build atmosphere or mood • Your ability to write formal responses • Your ability to pack a lot of information into short responses • Your general writing style Share your thoughts with a partner or small group and report to the class. Discuss your opinions as a class.